Strokin' Checks To Stay on the Lists

Having Finley affords me the annual opportunity to hang out with 40 or 50 friends for about two fun but dormant hours. I found myself in this now familiar place this past Wednesday morning as I waited for her name to be called at a local day school.

The day school business in Columbia is pretty fascinating to say the least. Finley's been registered with 8 schools around town since Jenna was pregnant. At Eastminster Pres. the other day, Finley's name was called pretty late in the rotation. Turns out we are # 33 or 34 on the 'Toddler 1" list. As you can imagine, this isn't a great spot to be in

We were thrilled to get a call from Incarnation Lutheran on Tuesday. This popular program has an opening for Finley as long as she can 'sit up' by herself. We're almost there! We're proud to enroll her at Incarnation as we have many friends that are involved with the program.

I'm sure we'll stay on all of the lists around town as Incarnation is a few extra miles from work. Either way, we're happy.

I had fun with my friends the other day at Eastminster. I gladly stroked the check to 'stay on the list' as did everyone else. I'm sure I'll stroke it again next year, too. :)

The 5 Lowest Priced Homes in Shandon

Marketing Five Shandon Homes Under 223K

As I was pulling comps for a new listing, I realized we've had the five lowest priced listings in all of Shandon over the last few months. I know...I know, there's only three pictures above but the gray house on the 2500 block of Shandon is now closed and we haven't snapped a photo of our Burney Dr. yet.

I knew we had a good thing going in Shandon but I had no idea that we had every single listing from 199,900 and 229,000. Pretty cool...

All these listings have their own attributes and charm. Some of the listings have great kitchens and some have great backyards. Some are 'creme puff cute' while one of them definitely needs to be stripped to the studs.

I live in Shandon and have to admit that I 'work the area' hard. I believe in the Shandon, Wales Garden, Wheeler Hill areas and am proud to have great listings from 199K to almost 700K.

My next listing will be on Burney Dr. and will have a price tag of $174,900. Be on the lookout!

Weekly Richland Co. Property Transfers

Richland Co. Property Transfers; Feb 15 - 21, 2010
Last week we examined the possibility that The State Newspaper wasn't publishing all of the property transfers that were happening in Richland County. If you click the link above, you'll plainly see that our discovery remains true.

Until I begin a new blog platform I'll probably publish the 'Property Transfers List' about every two weeks. I'm publishing it today because last week I announced that I'd make this a weekly post and I wanted to stay true to my word.

Given my post frequency I think this list will be better served as a bi-weekly project. Either way, I think we've demonstrated that there are more property transfers than The State Newspaper is reporting. Thank goodness!!! :)

Dad Represents Buyer in Big Mall Deal

A Good Days Work as Dad Sells Richland Fashion Mall
I didn't read The State Newspaper today but I knew Richland Mall had sold before 9:00AM. Friends were TXT'ing and calling this morning wondering if the buyers agent in the transaction was, "your dad." I reported that I knew something was going on but not sure about the details. Great job! Anytime a salesperson can 'pop' a mall it has to be a good day.

If you remember, it was only a few years ago Richland Mall tried it's best to re brand itself as 'Midtown at Forest Acres.' The name never stuck as my friends and I still know it as Richland Fashion Mall.

The large retail space is actually better known for its unique or negative features. The dominant parking garage is something local folks don't want to have to deal with and the fact that shoppers are forced to travel through a Belks store to get anywhere creates a lot of head shaking. Today much of the building serves as the local indoor walking track.

The best idea I could think of was for Richland County to purchase it and lease the unused space to other governments. The DMV, City of Forest Acres, Richland County and different segments of state government could call the space home. I thought it was a good fit because all of the government vehicles could be parked (protected) in the garage.

Another creative possibility was to move a great gym into the old Dillard's side (Black Lion). Big space, good parking, etc. Of course this was a fleeting thought before Gold's Gym landed its spaceship on Forest Drive.

Congrats to dad and the buyers. On the surface it looks like they got quite a deal!

Weekly Richland Co. Property Transfers

Richland Co. Property Transfers; Feb 7 - 14, 2009
As I go around town I hear about how the "Property Transfers" in The State Newspaper have dwindled down to almost zero. I have to admit, I really don't have any idea how The State chooses their list. I do know however that real estate closings are happening and the transfers aren't reflected in our local newspaper.

Pure curiosity prompted me to do a little research and my findings were interesting. If you click the link above you'll find a more accurate list of what's CLOSED in Richland Co.

In response to this little research project I'm gonna try to provide the transfers on a weekly basis. I'll try to treat it much like the popular "Hotsheet" and phase in the Lexington Co. property transfers in the weeks to come.

The Pink Turkey Loves To Eat Her Feet

If you've been around me lately you're aware that I've affectionately nicknamed Finley "My Pink Turkey." Throw in some southern accent with a tinch of exaggeration and "Pank Toorkie" is a more accurate description.

Finleys constantly pulling her feet up so she can suck on her toes. When she's all wet from a bath she swings those feet up and I swear she looks like a shiny pink, slick Butterball turkey. It's pretty funny.

Next time we have a bath I'll try to snap a better image of the whole situation. It can be quite a sight.

As all new parents we're having a big time with our sweetheart. Before we had a name for her I went around town calling her "Twitter" but right now she's daddy's little "Pink Turkey."

These are good times... :)

Columbia's Newest Hotsheet

>>Columbia's Newest Listings; Jan. 14 - Feb 7, 2010

Wes Donehue Hits A Nail On The Head

" If You Have A Website, You're Out of Date" FJ
I've been saying for a while now that, "If you have a website, you're out of date." Ok, ok...I admit this phrase is a tad extreme but I'm trying to make a point. A more accurate line may be, "If ALL you have is a website, you are out of date."

What prompted this post is when I saw my friend Wesley's video about the subject. Wesley hits the nail on the head in a lot of ways. If you watch it you'll notice he's in the political arena so you may not recognize the names he mentions. Nevertheless, you'll get the idea.

I agree with him that the public has chosen where it wants to be. Facebook is where everyone is "set up" and comfortable. These days having a Facebook account is not far from having a drivers license...everyone has one. I've dabbled in other social networking sites too and they just don't seem to have legs. For example, the general population just isn't interested in setting up a Ning account.

Further, Facebook provides folks with a captive audience. You don't have to fight for Google placement for attention like you do with a website.

To be quite frank about it blogs may not be far behind websites in terms of going the way of the dodo bird. However, the difference here is that websites are "static" and sit there whereas a blog is a person's frequent candid thoughts that can go viral....via Facebook.

The reason I even blurt the words, "If you have a website, you're out of date" is because people are sometimes adamant about not opening a Facebook account. When I say it, folks think of Facebook in a different manner. The phrase works...and they hop on (and love it).

Good for Wesley for throwing this video out there. It's pretty much right on...

2440 Craig Road is Now on Market

Super Cute Druid Hills Home is For Sale
This good looking home on Craig Rd. has 1,886 sq.ft. and features 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.

2240 Craig Rd. sports many cool things that other homes in the area can't touch. In my bias, the most glaring of these is the enormous master bedroom. As you can see from the 4th photo above, the home has been "bumped out the back." This bump-out has made for the huge master. Another awesome feature about the master is that it opens to the back deck (through french doors of course).

Another extraordinary asset is the finished area underneath the main level. This space can be used for a plethora of functions. If my family lived here it would probably serve as a ginormous "man room" and office. If Finley were a few years older it would be a huge play area with a "Wii Room."

This cute home sits on a desirable "corner cul-De-sac lot". The backyard is a gentle slope and very large. Having such a large backyard and elevated back deck, this home is perfect for BBQ's and supper clubs.

2440 Craig Rd. is a fun home and 5 minutes to anything downtown. The owner of this home is also eligible to qualify to send elementary aged students to the popular Brockman school.

Email fjones@cbunited.com or call if you have any questions or would like to view 2440 Craig Rd.